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February 17, 2010

New Life for Old Frames

We love art and have a lot of original oils and watercolors in our home, some of which were done by my talented mother. Most of these paintings have come to us in old frames that don't do a lot for the artwork in them. Two of our favorites had frames so bad it was hard to see past them to the beautiful scenes within. We intended to have them reframed or build some new frames ourselves but time and and our little friend budget got in the way (it always does!). The right frame can really make a painting, and while I would usually leave this decision to the professionals, I knew that I could make them better with minimal effort. So, with a little leftover black paint, some champagne colored gilt craft paint from Michaels, and one afternoon this is what I came up with:

Before: The frame was chipped and completely the wrong color

After: I painted the whole thing black and accented the inside molding with the champagne colored gilt craft paint. It looks more gold in this picture, but in person it is the perfect cross between gold and silver.

Here it is in the dining room above the antique hutch I inherited from my grandmother.

Before

After: I first primed and then painted the whole frame black, then dry brushed the champagne paint over the black. The new color really brings out the blues in the painting. This one is hanging in the bedroom and is my inspiration for the bedroom decor which is patiently waiting to get some attention.

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About Me

Hi! I'm Cate and this guy --> is Nate. We searched our whole lives to find someone whose nickname rhymed with our own. Once that was accomplished we set out to renovate our world one house at a time (we are currently on #3). We were having so much fun we almost forgot to start a family. But then we remembered. And now? We are making the most of our 1940's cottage on a tree lined street with a baby in one arm and (if you must know) a diet coke in the other.